Football is back, and the Minnesota Vikings are still putting the final pieces together before Week 1. While the regular season kicks off tonight, the Vikings won’t open until Sunday at 3:25 against the Packers at U.S. Bank Stadium on a national stage.
The latest move came Wednesday, when Minnesota brought back a familiar name: Jihad Ward. The veteran edge defender signed to the practice squad, giving Brian Flores another body in a spot that already saw the Vikings add Kyle Van Noy last week.
The #Vikings have signed OLB Jihad Ward to the practice squad.
📰: https://t.co/rOtg9WsZmu pic.twitter.com/O2qZeVk4iu
- Minnesota Vikings (@Vikings) September 9, 2026
Ward doesn’t need much of an introduction in Minnesota. He previously spent time with the Vikings and is now back with the team for another run, this time on the practice squad.
A former second-round pick by the Oakland Raiders in 2016, Ward appeared in 17 games for Minnesota in 2024. He spent last season with the Tennessee Titans, where he started 12 of 17 regular season games.
His production in Tennessee was solid without being flashy: 5.0 sacks, which matched his 2023 career high, along with 31 total tackles, four tackles for loss and 22 quarterback hits, a career best.
The Vikings also leaned on Ward in 2024 for 41% of their defensive snaps. In Tennessee, that number jumped to a career-high 67% on defense, and Minnesota also used him heavily on special teams. That could be part of the plan again in 2026.
For Flores, Ward adds depth behind Dallas Turner and Andrew Van Ginkel. And while he briefly had people thinking he might be headed back to New York after posting a video of his Giants time last week, the reunion ended up happening in Minnesota instead.
In Other News...
Vikings Lose Tight End Depth At Worst Possible Time
The Vikings have had to shuffle their roster at a spot where they could least afford any more thinning. Minnesota placed tight end Ben Yurosek on injured reserve, a move that takes away a piece of the depth chart just as the team is settling into the 2026 season. To make room, the Vikings also released safety Kahlef Hailassie from the practice squad.
Yuroseks injury is not expected to be long-term, so this looks more like a setback than a season-changing loss. Even so, it leaves Minnesota leaning more heavily on its veteran pair of T.J. Hockenson and Josh Oliver for the time being, and the Vikings will be hoping Yurosek can work his way back later in the year when the tight end group could use the help most. [Read more 🡒]
J.J. McCarthy's Vikings Standing Just Took An Alarming Turn
Kevin O'Connells Week 1 quarterback decision offered a clear look at how Minnesota is lining up behind starter Kyler Murray, and it was not the place J.J. McCarthy likely expected to be. Carson Wentz is set as the backup for the Packers game, leaving McCarthy third on the depth chart after a rough 2025 season that saw him finish last in several passing categories.
For a player who arrived with real long-term intrigue, the immediate message is hard to ignore: the Vikings are prioritizing stability for the opener, while McCarthys path back will have to come through performance and circumstance. Injury concerns around Murray and Wentz could still create an opening during the 2026 season, but for now McCarthy is waiting much farther down the line than anyone in Minnesota would have hoped. [Read more 🡒]
Vikings Just Sent A Troubling Early Message About J.J. McCarthy
Kevin OConnells Week 1 quarterback decision sent an early signal about where J.J. McCarthy stands as the season opens. The Vikings head coach said McCarthy will open as the No. 3 quarterback behind Carson Wentz, a notable shift from the earlier plan that had the young passer slotted in as the backup.
The move adds another layer to an offseason that has already brought questions around McCarthys ankle injury and the chatter about his future in Minnesota. Even with the opener still ahead, the Vikings have made it clear their depth chart is not set in the way many expected, and McCarthy now has more to prove before he can climb back into the conversation. [Read more 🡒]